Former Collingwood president Eddie McGuire has defended his viral antics in the wake of Brayden Maynard being cleared to play.
After a lengthy Tribunal hearing on Tuesday night, Maynard was cleared and is now free to play in Collingwood’s preliminary final.
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Shortly after the news was announced a video of McGuire quickly whipped around social media.
The video, posted to social media by ex-Collingwood and Carlton star Dale Thomas, showed McGuire standing up and tapping his glass in a restaurant before announcing: “Ladies and gentlemen, justice has been done. Brayden Maynard is free to play for the Pies.”
The video divided footy fans with many not happy with McGuire for celebrating the verdict given Maynard’s hit could end with Brayshaw hanging up his boots.
“Everyone was mucking around (in the restaurant) I walked in about five minutes before that (video) happens. Everyone as I walked past were asking ‘what’s going on with the Maynard situation?’,” McGuire said on Nine’s Footy Classified on Wednesday night.
“That was not any thought about that (Brayshaw) and I apologise if anyone actually takes it that way.
“It was all about that Brayden Maynard had got through, a key player for Collingwood going into a preliminary final amongst a lot of Collingwood people who had come up and asked for photos at that stage.
“It was pure fun in what has been a very very raw situation.
“You’re still allowed to have some fun in the game and there was no slight or malice towards anyone and unbridled joy that a champion of the Collingwood football club will be right to play in the final.”
McGuire was torn to shreds by radio host Jase Hawkins who launched a scathing rant over the footage.
Hawkins on Wednesday said McGuire’s actions were not the image the club wanted.
“Every time I talk to a Pies supporter, I’m like why does the club have such a bad name, Eddie Maguire’s name comes up every time because of w***** moves like this,” Hawkins said on on KIIS 101.1’s Jase & Lauren.
“Sit down you kn**. Justice has been done? There is a player now who has to sit a week out from concussion and his family is outraged because he may not ever play again and you’ve got this d***head sitting up in restaurants screaming stuff like that. That’s not the image the club wants.”
The AFL ultimately elected not to appeal the Tribunal’s decision, instead stating they would be launching a review of players’ duty of care towards their opponents before the 2024 season.
AFL football boss Laura Kane said the league would have appealed the decision if it felt there were grounds for a challenge.
“It’s a difficult incident, it’s really challenging for everybody involved, but we didn’t feel there were grounds to appeal,” Kane told reporters on Wednesday.
“If we did feel there were grounds to appeal, we would have.”
The league announced the decision shortly after the 12pm deadline on Wednesday, saying in a statement it had given the verdict “careful consideration”.
“The AFL has decided not to appeal the Tribunal’s decision,” the statement read.
“The AFL understands that the outcome of this case will not sit well with everyone who watches and plays our game.
“No one likes to see a player suffer a serious concussion as Angus Brayshaw did and also see the impact the incident had on him, his family and friends, his teammates and his club.
The statement flagged a review of how incidents like Maynard’s attempted smother would be policed heading into next season.
“The health and safety of players in our game will always be the AFL’s priority and regardless of the tribunal outcome this incident will be subject to close examination at the end of the season.”
Kane said if rules were tweaked around players’ duty of care over the off-season, it would not be simply to address the specific scenario involving Maynard and Brayshaw.
“We review all rules and regulations, so the process that we go through at the end of each season is not contained to one incident, necessarily,” she said.
– with Ed Bourke, NCA Newswire